As I mentioned in the previous post, we spent the past weekend in Annapolis and had a great time. Nicole and I went up with my mom and dad, and Brent's friend, Makenzie, came along with us. We left Roanoke on Thursday afternoon and stayed up there until Monday morning. It was good to be able to spend a legitimate of time there instead of constantly being on the road.

We were able to spend most of the weekend with Brent, which was his first break from the grueling process of Plebe Summer. He was released on Friday at lunchtime and was able to hang out with us for most of Friday, Saturday, & Sunday. It was obvious that he was ready to have a break and get away from the academy for a bit, but I could tell that he seems to have adjusted and enjoys as much of it as he can.

Eating Maryland crabs.

After his release on Friday, he took us up to his room and we met his other two roommates. It was crazy to see how clean they are expected to keep their living quarters and all the small details they have to be aware of (like requirements for the blinds on the window). His roommates seem to be good guys and Brent likes them because of their willingness to work hard. It was also awkward to meet his detailers and company leaders - the people who have been yelling at him all summer. I know they were trying to be friendly but I didn't know how to talk to them other than to say, "Sir, yes, sir."

Once we got away from the academy, we went to Brent's sponsor's house for lunch. A sponsor is someone who "adopts" a few midshipmen during their time at the Naval Academy and acts as a sort of host family for them. Brent is fortunate to have an AMAZINGLY sweet lady as his sponsor and he's going to be in great hands during his four years with her. She hosted us for lunch and had an awesome spread on the dining table, including her famous crab dip. After eating half the dip by myself, I'm trying to figure out how she can be my sponsor.

The rest of the weekend was pretty relaxed. We tried some local restaurants that were very good (food posts are coming) and walked around downtown Annapolis a good bit. We didn't want to plan too much because we wanted Brent to enjoy his free time and it was good to take things easy. It was also fun to sit around and listen to all his crazy stories from the summer. Other than that, it was a lot of short little trips around Annapolis and walking around.

One last thing...Nicole and I have a new pet. We talked for the past few months about getting a hedgehog and finally picked one up on our way home from Annapolis. He's a tiny little fellow (fits in the palm of my hand) and now calls the Aldridge house home. There were a lot of different ideas for names but after watching how much he liked to scurry around and his interest in digging, I decided 'Herschel' was quite appropriate. Nicole has decided not to commit to a particular name and will call him whatever she feels like at the moment. Whatever his name is...he's ours!

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From Ballparks to BBQ is a blog that focuses on food, sports, and travel. Whether it's a restaurant review, game preview, or what to do in a city, I'm here to offer my thoughts and suggestions. Learn more >

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